Florals & tweed

[Dress: H&M; Scarf: J.Crew factory (I love this one); Shoes: H&M (similar); Earrings: Francesca's; Nails:  Essie 'Sew Psyched']

I know it happened a million years ago, but this is what I wore for the Oscar party we attended. Not exactly an evening gown, but definitely more dressed up than I get on a regular basis. Oh, and this dress was definitely wayyyy more low cut than I typically prefer, so I remedied that with this bright scarf. Works every time. 

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

Better Days

 [Dress and shoes: H&M; Tights & necklace: J.Crew factory store]

Oh how I wish the weather now worked for an outfit like this. Say goodbye to dress and heels, and hello to weeks of 12-pound snow boots and fisherman's sweaters. Thank you Nemo.

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

Icy Blue

[Dress: thrifted via Crossroads Trading Co: Sweater: J.Crew via Buffalo Exchange; Pumps: H&M (similar); Earrings: Francesca's; Ring: Forever 21; Nails: OPI 'Skyfall']

After a week of wearing pajamas all day or sweaters that feel like blankets (it's cold up in Boston), it's nice to think back to this festive holiday outfit. You may recognize it from my bloopers post.

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

The Perfect Winter Dress

Last month I was invited to a wedding last minute (perks of being the photographer's wife), and realized all my fun dresses were far more summer appropriate. I pulled a look together with a knit little black dress and some statement jewelry, but have since been daydreaming about owning a perfect go-to winter cocktail dress. Around the same time, I stumbled my way into Barney's (dream on, right?) when I had some time to kill before meeting with friends, and came across this perfect number by Rag & Bone.

I love the black and white combo, the flattering vertical color block pattern and the fun gold piping. All that in the ultra flattering shift shape? Can I please own you NOW?!. The $450 price tag, is well, shall we say unrealitsic, but I'm determined to own something similar in my price range. I took to the usual sources, and here is what I came up with.

This first row is actually a bit liberal in its interpretation: a similar shape in the center, but different colors, longer silhouettes, and other tweaks make this row more of a nod to the original dress.

1/2/3

One of the things I love the most about the Rag & Bone dress is the flattering vertically oriented pattern, so these dresses below struck me for the same reason. Some include the mirrored print look that has been cropping up in the last year, but I think the overall shape and layout is a nice nod to the original. And I love the shoulder detail on the far right dress. 

1/2/3

For this last set, I went as close to the original as I could. The gold buttons on the far left dress remind me of the piping on the original, and I love the curvier shape of the middle dress! I thought the beige was a nice twist in the third one. 

1/2/3

What do you think? Close enough? What's your ideal winter dressy dress? 

By the way Rag & Bone, you could make this easier on all of us and just send me the original? OK thanks. 

Wedding Dressing

As promised, here's peek #1 of our wedding style. We held the event on an awesome Sunday afternoon at the Pinehills Golf Club in Plymouth, MA. We had a short engagement (May-October), so we had to be efficient and focus in on the details that meant the most to us.

One potential challenge with having a fall wedding was that I did NOT want to go with the classic fall colors of burgundy, rust, and marigold, but pastels and obvious summer tones were also out of the question! I picked my favorite neutral, navy, for the girls dresses, and went with an Alfred Sung number that I liked for the v-neck and the fun A-line shape. A friend later said it was Mad Men-esque, which explains my attraction! We thought the guys' grey suits paired well against the navy, too. I wanted flowers that popped against my dress, so went with purple, and did a mix of purple and white for the girls' bouquets. Mums were in for the season and I thought made for an awesome textured, wildflower-y bouquet.

I've waxed on about how much I love turquoise before, but I realize that color doesn't translate great into bridesmaids' dresses. So we accented with it, in the ribbon of the guys' boutonnieres (wow I spelled it right on the first try!) and in other decor elements throughout the wedding as you'll see in the next post!

Photo credit goes to Katie Pietrowski

Fall Frock

[Dress: Forever 21(appears to be sold out but here's a similar one); Flats: Zara; Cardigan: Splendid via Buffalo Exchange; Earrings: BaubleBar; Ring: Old Navt; Nails: Essie 'Merino Cool']

I thought my love of cutesy dresses would retire come the colder weather. Nope. And I've been avoiding peter pan collars due to PTSD from my one year of Catholic school in third grade (the uniform was a burgundy plaid jumper over a white peter pan-collared blouse). But this pretty stripes-and-dots combo won me over. Navy and nude is a favorite classic color combination of mine. And I've quickly lost the little summer tan I had, so the nude shade seems to be matching my skin tone lately. Not that that's a good thing...

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

Out on the Town

[Dress: Target (last year, similar dress from Modcloth here); Necklace: J.Crew factory (I love these cool mint and turquoise ones from BaubleBar); Booties: Report; Ring: Forever 21] 

I wore this getup for an awesome night out during a recent bachelorette weekend in NYC. I know what you're thinking: "That's your apartment, Erin, NOT New York." Correct. There were way more important things to do than take outfit pictures that weekend! But I still loved the look and played a bit of dressup in my kitchen once I got settled in back here.

This also marks the official start of my love affair with these booties. I have them in the tan color and black and plan on wearing them with everything from dresses to skirts to skinnies to pajamas (kidding). This is me slowly embracing fall clothing.

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

Hi-lo Stripes

Dress: Asos; Necklace: J.Crew factory; Shoes: Payless (old); Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

I wasn't sure that the high-low trend was for me, but then I came across this lovely dress on Asos. The floaty shape and the bright candy colors were too much to resist. I had been saving this frock for my dear friend's bridal shower, which we held this weekend. A happy dress for a very happy occasion (please pardon the band-aid).

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

A Floral Touch

[Dress: Forever 21 (earlier this year); Scarf: Forever 21 (old but cool options here); Rings: Forever 21 (different color left); Earrings: Forever 21; Sandals: Madewell]

This scarf has been my favorite last-minute chic accessory for the last four years. It transforms a basic white t-shirt and jeans, and spices up an already bold, bright dress.

[All photos by Mikhail Glabets] 

Simple

[Dress: Cynthia Rowley via T.J. Maxx; Shoes: Old Navy; Necklace: J.Crew factory (recent); Sunglasses: Ray-Ban]

Navy just might be my favorite color to pair neon with. (Evidence here, here, and here).

I giggled when I saw "Bond Girl Confidence" as the #StyleMeAugust prompt this week.  I figured a slightly stretchy, form-fitting dress was the best chance I got.  And Bond girls totally wear neon, right? Minimal accessories, too. Either way, I felt cool, comfy, and chic despite the sweltering heat and humidity this week. Still not ready for it to end, though.

[All photos by Mikhail Glabets] 

Nautical Blush

[Dress: H&M, earlier this year; Jacket: Forever 21; Shoes: Zara; Necklace: H&M; Earrings & Ring: Forever 21;] 

The shape of this dress is oh-so-girly, so I paired it with the more dude-like jacket (minus the shiny pink-ness of it, of course). We took these photos minutes before last Saturday's downpour began, so I was quickly back home and in comfies, ready for a night of Mexican food and movies with family that was visiting. Happy weekend, all! Don't melt.

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

Monochromatic Blue

[Dress: H&M, last seen here; Shoes: Thrifted at Goodwill (these are a pretty cool option); Earrings: BaubleBar; Ring: Forever 21; Nails: Essie 'Tart Deco']

I think it's a requirement that I make silly faces and pose like a fool every time I shoot in front of this white backdrop. It's also a requirement that I work as much of this Tiffany Blue color into my life as I can. My old bedroom is painted in it (sorry roommate successors), my new place is accented with it (in every room, one recent visitor remarked), and my closet is dominated by it. So is this outfit. I don't know what's too over the top: the blue everywhere or the snazzy neck of this dress, which had my coworkers thinking I had bedazzled myself with plastic that morning.

All photos by Mikhail Glabets